Sunspots
by Rosy52
Summary: A few years after the events of the movie, Captain Jack Sparrow stumbles upon the makings of a most interesting adventure when he meets a girl with a unique secret.
1. Old Friends

**Disclaimer**: Grand revelation of the day...I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean. Or Captain Jack Sparrow, for that matter. Unfortunately. No, I'm just an aspiring writer who decided to take a few liberties with Disney's movie. So don't sue me. Thank you, and enjoy the story.

**Authors Note**: I've wanted to write a PotC fanfic for ages, and finally inspiration dawned on me. As the summery said, this is story of the further adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow. A warning, there will me a new character of my own design joining the story. She is not, I repeat, not a Mary Sue. And just to be on the safe side, I give you leave to flame me if she starts going in that direction. With that said, please read and enjoy. And remember, reviews make me happy, and a happy author is an updating author, so feel free to press that little button on the bottom and leave me a note. Now, on to the story…  
  
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**Sunspots**  
  


Danielle Palmer. The words slid smoothly from the tip or her quill, marking the inside cover of the book with a practiced signature that transformed the pilfered into the personal. Giving it an appraising look, she smiled contently, closed the book, and briefly admired the green silk brocade encasing the hard cover, running a finger along the uneven pages inside before slipping it into a hidden pocket among her skirts.

 Danielle had come across the treasure in a small trinket shop buried among the taverns and brothels that seemed to have overrun Tortuga in recent years. It was a place she visited sporadically to escape from her reality. Fingering the odds and ends collected from the far reaches of the world reminded her that there was something else out there, thousands of destinations waiting just over the horizon, should she ever build up the courage to go. Before today, however, she had never bothered to take any of the treasures with her. She had no place to keep such things, and would have ended up selling or trading them away soon enough. There were dozens of stalls strewn around the island that were much more suitable for such and endeavor.

 However, that day her sharp eyes had picked out the rich green cloth of the book, and an idea had seized her. It was nothing new to her, this fierce desire to share her secrets and sorrows. As she flipped delicately through the blank pages, a vision flashed before her eyes: strings of dreams and confessions in her hand filling the book to the brim. Without a second thought, she had slipped the book into her pocket and turned toward the door. Nodding demurely in the direction of the inattentive shopkeeper, she slipped outside, losing herself among the traffic of the road.

  
  
Not but a mile away, yet another ship had docked in the busy port, and topside the crew had assembled in a haphazard group, each member eager to delve into the pleasures of Tortuga. After brief words by one who, by the sheer size of his had, could be none other then the captain, all headed off to lighten their pockets of their ever so burdensome plunder. The last to leave was the captain himself, looking fondly over the ship as he walked away. In a drunken swagger, he made his way to the nearest tavern and slipped through the entrance. Inside, cries of "Jack" and "Sparrow, I'll be damned" resounded throughout the room, punctuated by the crash of several chairs hitting a wall near the back, one of them still occupied. 

"That's Captain, savvy?" he said in mock indignation to no one in particular, grinning at the familiar faces before taking a seat in a secluded back corner. Nearly hidden by the shadows was a thin, wiry man sitting across from him, nursing an amber drink in one hand. Without looking up, he passed it to Jack who finished off the mug easily and signaled for more to be brought to the table. Finally, the man spoke.  
"I heard you were coming around. We have much to talk about."

  
Several hours later found the two men significantly more inebriated and overflowing with stories that had collected for far too long.

  
"And then they made me their chief!" Jack finished with a flourish, his fingers dancing animatedly in the air. As he settled back into the seat and took a long draft of rum, the man let out a long laugh that shook his very frame. Finally recovering, he took on an air of gravity.

  
"Jack, it's been too long. Five years you've been off doing the devil knows what, and I've been trapped here, with naught but the odd case to keep me in good spirits. I could have been a rich man by now, if it weren't for you, ye scallywag." Jack sighted, acting only slightly affronted at the berating. "A fine practice I had, living among the civilized, working on that good Navy ship, before you and your lot attacked. Taken aboard a pirate ship, of all the appalling, disgraceful-"

  
"You don't really believe all that drivel, do you Doctor? Because it would be a pity if I has wasted room aboard the Pearl to house a complete idiot. And a strange kind of idiot it is that can save a mans life but forget the bloody whelp he was sailing with that almost cost him his own." Jack smoothly cut him off, not in the mood for an undeserved lecture. The doctor mumbled something under his breath, but no more was said on the topic. 

What followed was several minutes of uncomfortable silence, broken only by the raised voices and crashing bodies nearby. Finally, Jack alighted to a topic both were happy to delve into. "So, mate, there must have been some good horror stories you can share, being the good doctor that you are." He finished with a knowing smile.

  
The Doctor stroked his chin thoughtfully, sifting through his patents carefully for one of particular interest. Among the bodies, there were not many that stood out; shootings or stabbings the most obvious, sickness or sudden death the rest. While each gruesome to the last, there was not much of a story behind most. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. 

"Yes, yes. There was one case, a girl quite a few years back, that brought you to my mind." Across the table, Jack looked concerned, listing in his mind who she could have been, and more importantly, if she would be seeking retribution. He had had quite enough reunions his last time into Tortuga with the fairer sex, and did not wish to repeat the experience. 

"No, no," the doctor said dismissively, alerting to Jacks look of consternation. She was a child, no more then twelve at the time, though by now she must be near twenty." Once again at ease, Jack took a generous swig of rum, and the doctor continued his tale. 

"You see," he began, leaning in conspiratorially, "I found her in the alley, rolled into the shadows like a kitten not but a few paces from my home. At first I thought she was sleeping, but when I looked closer, her dress was streaked with blood. Nasty cut across her shoulder, it seemed. Well, I'm not one to let a child die in the street, so I go to take her inside. The little thing sprung up the moment I touched her, eyes as wide as saucers, they were. You would have thought I was Death come to take her last breath the way she looked at me. Took me ages to get her inside, but wouldn't let me near the cut. So what I do is, I give her a cup of ale, tell her it'll make it stop hurting. The little thing has it done in one gulp, and before I know it, she's fast asleep on the floor." Here he looked up, and blanched at Jacks skeptical look.  
"If this be your best story, mate, you really do need to get out more. Maybe find yourself a girl, or-"  

"Oh, bloody hell Jack, that's not the end of the story yet. Give me a moment, aye?" Jack nodded, conceding, and the doctor continued. "So I go to wash off the blood, and underneath it all, I see something green. At first I think it's a trick o' the light, but I cut away part of the dress, and it's a tattoo. Not just some little thing, either. I keep pulling back the cloth; bloody thing went all across her back. A thing of beauty, really, but strange on a child's back." Looking up again, he caught Jack's eye, noticing a wisp of interest before it was blinked away.

  
"Do tell, do tell," he prompted.

  
The doctor smiled to himself, sure that he had struck upon something of importance. "Well, it's been years, but I tell you, I see it clear as if it were in front of me now, a sun dripping down to a golden pit, surrounded by thick band of green. And amid all this were writings; at least I suppose that's what they were. No manner of language I've ever seen before or since; couldn't make heads or tales of it myself, really. Anyway, I stitched her up best I could, and the next morning she'd run off quite as a spirit. I still see her around though. She never left these parts, though I doubt many know she's here." At that, Jack snapped out of his thoughts.

  
"And why do you think that?" he asked curiously.

  
"Well, from what I've seen, she don't like to make herself well know. Impedes in her line of work, I'd imagine." At Jack's questioning look, the doctor gave a half smile. "Quite a little thief she grew up to be."


	2. Accord

**Authors Note:**  Yay, I'm actually updating.  My goal is to have a new chapter up every weekend, so we'll see how that goes.  Now, I don't want to keep you from the story, but I want to reply to some comments I got on Ch. 1

Sophia – thanks for reading, and feel free to correct me any time.  Like you need the permission, lol.  But seriously, thanks for putting up with my scribblings, and make me not do this during math, or I'll seriously start failing.  Worse then I already am.

Arien Star – omg, I'm so glad you think Jacks in character, I was really worried about that.  And I went back and fixed the format on the last chapter.  Hope it's a bit easier to read now.  :)

And for everyone else, enjoy the story, and remember to review on your way out.

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Outside, Danielle had resumed her daily wanderings of the island.  She rarely had a definite destination in mind, instead preferring to stay on the move and see what opportunities presented themselves.  As she weaved between the mixed company of drunken sailors and the women vying for their attention (and their shillings), a dull growl crept up from her empty stomach.  It seemed ages since her last meal, and the smells of food wafting out of the nearby taverns had awoken her appetite.  Spotting one that she had not visited in some time, Danielle slipped through the doors and let herself revel in the comfort of a warm fire and the smells of food before she bean her search for unguarded plates.

            Back in the corner, a breath of cool sea air that had snuck in with her now mingled with the smoke, playfully teasing the senses of the more lucid patrons, including the doctor.  He absentmindedly looked up, searching for the source, when his eyes caught sight of the figure in the fore of the tavern.  A low laugh rumbled up unchecked from within.  "Speak of the devil," he muttered, "and the devil she does appear.  That be her now."  Jack followed the doctors' gaze until it came to rest on a slight girl picking her way among rough wooden tables that dotted the room.  She looked quite common in nature, her long brown hair left down, obscuring most of her features, and a thin well-worn dress draped over her meager frame.

              "A thief, you say?  Unless she is quite the bonny trickster, I don't see 'er hiding much at all as it stands." Jack said, apprising the girl up and down.  Yet even as he spoke, the girl let her fingers run over the table nearest to her.  Just as she reached a platter stacked high with food, her hand darted out, snatching a goodly sized roll.  A moment later, it was gone, and she continued on her way around the table.  Twice more she did this, passing other platters, leaving them a bit lightened of their loads, and all the while Jack watched in fascination.  Finally, satisfied with her takings, she slipped out the door, and he turned back to the doctor.  

"She has good form, I'll give her that."  His friend laughed at the concession.  

            "Aye, that she does.  I wouldn't go bumping into her either.  Last time I did, my purse went missing." He said ruefully, shaking his head at the memory.

            "Really?  Terrible shame that." he said distractedly.  "Now, are you sure of that tattoo you saw, mate?  Not just one of your fancying or the like?"  His voice had taken on a serious edge, his hands, for once, resting quietly on the table.

            "Sure as I'm alive, it was there.  Why, do you know more then you're letting on, Jack?" the doctor replied, suspicion evident in his tone.

            "Of course not.  Would you really expect a simple pirate such as myself to know more than a great man of learning such as yourself about as trivial a thing as a tattoo on a girl?  Honestly, what has come over you?"  Before the doctor could formulate a response, however, Jack had slid out of the booth and turned to face him.  "But I'm afraid it is now time for me to take my leave.  Good seeing you mate.  Must do it again soon."  With that, he turned on his heels and strode purposefully out of the tavern, leaving the doctor staring bewilderedly after him.

Once outside, Jack took a moment to consider what he had just learned.  If it were true, then that would make this girl the key to quite a tasty bit of treasure.  He had heard talk in recent years that an old relic of a pirate in these parts had managed to plunder a loaded treasure galleon, but something had gone amiss.  The crew had never returned to port, but as the story went, the treasure had survived, and a map had turned up.  Obviously, some of the crew had survived after all, and one of them had seen fit to lay down the path to the treasure, but in a most inopportune manner.  Now, it seemed, Jack had come across that very map, alive and well as it were, and somewhere on Tortuga.  With a decided nod, Jack began meandering down the darkened street, set on finding her.  

Not but a few yards off, Danielle sat huddled against the stone wall of a small alleyway.  Before her lay the fruits of her labor: a warm roll, a hunk of cheese and two apples, it was a veritable feast.  Finally settling on the apple to begin, she lifted it to her mouth and took a small bite.  The juice dripped down her throat, easing her aching stomach.  Taking another bite and another, she settled into a rhythmic pattern, bite, chew, swallow, bite, chew, swallow.  

In the distance, the sounds of fights and merrymaking mingled with nearby lapping of water against the docks.  Out of this drone, footsteps gradually separated, nearing her until they were just out of sight.  Danielle instinctively let her hair fall around her face and pushed deeper into the shadows.  The steps continued, and a dark shadow passed over her as the figure continued along.  Just as the shadow disappeared, however, the footsteps paused.  A moment later, two steps brought the figure back to the alleys mouth.  Through her streaming hair, Danielle could just make out the outline.  A man, she had guessed from his gait, and confirmed from his dress, but not quite normal, if anything in Tortuga were to be considered normal.  His hair hung down in thick ropes from under a limp hat.  As he grew nearer, she noted the weaving steps he took.  

"Wonderful.  Drunk, of course." She thought to herself, praying she would not be seen.

It was already far too late for that.  He had spotted her ages ago, the blue of her dress a sharp contrast to the dreary settings.  Jack had tried to think of a way to approach the girl without spooking her.  After half a minute, he abandoned that line of thought and opted for a more direct approach.  Hoping she wasn't too skittish a thing, he walked on till he was directly across from her, then spun suddenly to face her.  

"Ah, there you are," Jack exclaimed, clapping his hands together in delight.  Her gaze shot up at this outburst, a hint of fear edging at her impetuous stare.  "I believe you have something I need, love." 

Danielle's mind raced; searching for somewhere she could place the man before her, some wrong she may have done against him that would warrant his words.  But try as she might, she came up empty.  He didn't seem the type she would have forgotten, either, with his eccentric appearance and odd manner.   

"I'm sorry," she started hesitantly, unsure of her standing, "but I don't know what you mean, I-" glancing around for something to offer, she spotted the food lying in a bundle behind her.  "Oh, no, was that your-.  I'm so sorry, please, just-"

Jack followed her gaze to the paltry fare.  "No, no.  I'm thinking of something a bit more…personal.  Think back a bit.  I'm sure it will come to you." As he spoke, his hands began to dance impatiently, taking on a life of their own.  Ignoring the distraction, Danielle tried desperately to understand what the man wanted.  Replaying his words in her mind, she gave a start.  "Think back.  No, he couldn't possibly mean that.  It was inconceivable.  How could he know?  And yet…"

Jack watched her eyes dart around frantically, until comprehension finally dawned on her.  "Ah, yes.  That would be it.  Now, are we both on the same page, love?"  

"But how do you-"

"How would not be the question I would ask were I you, which I am not, but it is of little consequence either way, so don't fret about that now.  What I would ask would be 'what now', and the answer to that would be that we continue in one of two ways.  So shall it be the easy way or the hard way."  

"Way?" she asked quizzically.  "Way of doing what?  I don't understand."  The fear had begun to ebb away, replaced by bewilderment at the man's convoluted speech.

 Jack sighed wearily, and then began slowly, as if speaking to an inattentive student.  "You," he pointed dramatically at Danielle, "are coming with me."  Danielle backed against the wall, steadying herself against its solid structure as the world began to swim around her.  Heedless of this, Jack plunged on.  "Now, you can either come aboard willingly, say, as a temporary member of my crew, take an equal share in the plunder, be dropped off at the next port we see and Roberts your uncle, Mary's your aunt, we are all none the worse for wear.  That would be the easy way."

Danielle reeled at his words.  Nothing he had said made sense to her.  Plunder and aunts mixed together in a meaningless swarm of words.  And even as she struggled to understand, the man stood before her, waiting expectantly for her response.  Taking a deep breath to clear her mind, she took account of all that she did know.  He wanted to take her away from here.  And where was here?  A dark alley of a deserted street of an island that had grown to be a prison over the years.  A constant struggle to survive, continuous fear for her life, it was always the same.  No future, no hope for anything better.  

In future days, Danielle would not be able to explain what happened next.  Perhaps it was her dismal surroundings and the gnawing ache that still resided in her belly.  Or perhaps it was the fantasy of escape that seemed possible in those moments.  More likely, it was a combination of the two, perpetuated by the rashness that had ruled such actions for years.  Whatever it was, at that moment something inside of her broke.  The reservations she held melted away, leaving her in a dreamlike state.  Smiling dazedly, Danielle nodded.

Jack took in the smile and the nod with well-hidden surprise.  He had expected it to be, well, harder a task.  Still, never one to overlook an averted problem, he simply thanked whatever power was feeling generous that evening.  

"So, we have an accord?" Jack put foreword in a tone of finality.  

"We have an accord."


	3. Decisions

**Authors Note:**  Ok, seriously, you don't know how bad I felt waiting this long to update.  Just to try and explain, junior year of high school bites sometimes, and the last two weeks have been a prime example.  Between tests, projects, and god knows what else I'm repressing, I have had no time to work on this.  Basically, my writing time got eaten up by that pesky sleeping thing that seems to be kind of necessary to stay sane.  So here it is, a bit shorter then the last, but it seemed a good cut off point.  The next section just keeps going, and that's not done quite yet, so here you are.  Enjoy.

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The words slipped off her tongue unbidden and hung in the air between them, as though giving credence to the moment, before dissipating into nothing.  In its wake, silence threatened to take hold until Jack finally made a move.

"Right then.  Got a name, love?

"Danielle P-, Danielle.  Just Danielle." She put foreword cautiously.  She had never been generous with her trust, and this man certainly didn't warrant deferential treatment.  Best to stay guarded until more was known. 

 "And you? What am I to call you?" 

"Why, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow." He replied with a flourish.  AT her blank look, Jack blanched a bit.  "Captain of the Black Pearl…" he tried again, meeting only a puzzled stare.  "Great pirate threat of the Caribbean, -"

A pirate.  Danielle struggled to keep the surprise out of her face.  What had she gotten herself into?  A place on a pirate ship.  Good Lord.  She should have known, really, Tortuga simply crawling with pirates as it was, and he had the look of a scallywag about him.  Somehow she had failed to notice the grime, the smell of open sea and strong drink.  That should have been enough for her to know.  Perhaps it was his manner, she thought, that had deceived her.  He seemed gentle; persuasive, surely, perhaps even forceful in his dealing, but not one to be feared outright.  

Then there were his eyes.  Behind them there shone a wild thing, not a creature to be tied to the land.  They had a look to them that only now could be placed.  She saw that look a dozen times a day, in the still moments by the docks, in the windows of the shop fronts.  It was a look of yearning, a deep ache for want of freedom that she recognized as her own.

Still, a pirate.  It could all end very badly, she knew.  Danielle had heard tales of the cruelty of pirates, their mercilessness displayed through all manner of crime, and who was to say this one was any different, that boarding his ship wouldn't mean death, or worse.  She realized, suddenly that Jack had grown silent, was watching her intently as she debated her next move.  Whatever she was to do, it would have to wait for a more opportune moment.

"Well then, Captain, where are we to go from here?"  Her light tone surprised Jack, but he chose to let it lie.  Whatever was going through her mind would reveal itself in due course.  As for now, she seemed to be compliant enough for the time being, and that was fine by Jack.  Beckoning with a finger, he lead the way out of the alley and through the twisting streets of Tortuga till they reached the door of a rough-hewn two story edifice.  Cracking the door open, Jack turned back to Danielle.  

"Wait here." he said before slipping through the entrance.  Behind him, the door snapped shut, and Danielle was left alone once again.  Any thoughts of fleeing, however, were promptly jarred from her mind by the reverberating slap that sounded from behind the door.  A moment later, Jack emerged, the right side of his face suspiciously red.

"That I really didn't deserve," he mumbled to himself.  Then to Danielle, "Come along then.  Upstairs, the master suite."  Inside, doors lined the walls on either side of an imposing staircase leading to the second story.  Some swung open slightly, rusted hinges squeaking, but the vast majority was shut tight, muffling moans from within.  Atop the stairs, a woman dressed garishly in red glared angrily at the two of them before disappearing from sight.  

Jack herded Danielle up the stairs and through an open door to the right.  Moonlight streamed through an open window, illuminating the interior.  The "Master Suite" consisted of a bed.  A very large, somewhat dingy bed displayed prominently in the center of the room.  

Danielle's muddled worries about the recent turn of events finally banded together in this knowledge.  She was alone with a pirate and a very large bed.  Blindly, she reached back for the door, but was dismayed to find said pirate blocking the only entrance.  

"No!" Danielle yelped, torn between her want to put as much space as possible between the two of them and her dread of stepping any closer to the bed.  Jack looked down at her, vaguely surprised at her outburst.  Rum and fatigue were catching up with him, and his mind was not as quick as it ought to have been.  Unconsciously taking a step foreword, he watched as Danielle skittered back until her leg touched the base of the bed.  The contact set her darting to the furthest corner of the room.  

"Oh, bloody hell," Jack muttered, exasperated.  "Girl, I'm tired to the bone, and you look as though you could do with a rest yourself.  But I'm not going to lay a hand on you, if that's what has you spooked.  I've yet to touch a lady against her will, though the issue is rarely raised."  Here, he gave a smug grin, remembering past conquests, and conveniently forgetting the consequences they tended to carry.  "And…" he finished, "I don't plan to be changing that tonight."  

Without waiting for a response, Jack removed his hat and coat, leaving them heaped in the nearest corner, and sprawled across the bed.  Within minutes, soft snores drifted through the room, marking his descent into slumber.

 It was only then that Danielle moved, making her way to the window.  Easing herself onto the ledge, she breathed in the cool salt air and let the sound of waves in the distance lull her into calmness.  As the panic receded, she returned to her quandary; should she stay or flee.  If it were to be the latter, she would get no better opportunity.  The door was unbarred and the island a haven of refuge, he would never find her.  But that would leave her here, still stealing and hiding and praying for a change, when before her was that very prayer come true.  Not, of course, in any way she had imagined it, but this was beyond all doubt a chance for change.

Gazing down at the familiar streets and skyline, one final truth emerged that put an end to her questioning.  There was nothing holding her here.  Years lived invisible had achieved their goal, she was unknown, went by unnoticed every day, and if, when, she left, she would not be missed or mourned.  So that was it, she would leave.  And if she had the strength, never look back.  

Now all that was left to be decided was where to sleep.  His words had rung true enough, and in any case, it wouldn't matter if she slept on the bed or the floor if he had lied.  Despite that, the floor seemed the safer of the two.  And it wasn't as though she were used to any better; floor or street, both cold and hard, it would be as every other night.

Except that every other night, there had not been a bed mere feet away and free to use.  Danielle lay, unable to sleep, miserably staring at the feathers escaping the exposed tick that seemed bent on reminding her just how hard the floor was.  No matter what position she chose her back ached, and it seemed that every inch of flooring was jagged with splinters. 

Finally submitting, she stood and crept over to the bedside.  Jack, thankfully, had not taken over the middle, and there was room enough for Danielle to stretch out on one side without the two bodies so much as touching.  The mattress gave under her weight, cradling her in a sea of feathers while the blanket above it shielded her from any sharp points.  Danielle sighed dreamily, any thoughts of danger or propriety clouded over by the wonderful softness.  "Yes, that's what it is, it's like sleeping on a cloud." She thought hazily, before drifting off herself, to a world where she could dance light as a bird through the sky.


End file.
